After living in their home for nearly a decade, a family from Shoreline, WA realized they had outgrown their small 1960 Ranch house. They wanted more room and a greater connection from their house interior to the backyard.

The original low ceiling Ranch house was 780 square feet. Dubroca Studio was able to double its surface area, by expanding the home by 1,200 square feet. The new addition includes an expanded kitchen, a new dining room, a new laundry room, a new bathroom, a new mudroom and a large covered outdoor space (perfect for entertaining) on the main floor. On the second floor,  a new master bedroom, a new bedroom and a new bathroom were added.

The clients have a large extended family, and so creating a big entertaining area was key to the design of the first floor. The design team created an uninterrupted kitchen, dining area and living space. A large kitchen island was added in the kitchen to encourage social dining. Given that the low ceiling in the existing 1960 Ranch house is a bit uninviting, the design team added more floor to ceiling height by sinking the addition closer to the ground. This in turn also allowed for a greater connection with the backyard.

The clients also needed extra space in anticipation of their older parents moving into their home. The proposed design creates two sleeping quarters on each end of the house and a joined living area in the middle for all to congregate.

Wood finishes were favored by the clients, to provide continuity with the existing 1960 wood accents and overall warmth to the project.